Scott McLean, University of Calgary

Research

university extension Canada history sociology gender social class adult and continuing education higher education

Latest papers

Sacrificial Lambs and Rallying Cries: The Politics of Adult Education at the University of Manitoba, 1907-1949.
Adult education quarterly (American Association for Adult and Continuing Education) · 2025 · first author
Champions of democracy or agents of professionalization? The extension era at the universities of Toronto, Queen's, and McMaster.
Canadian review of sociology = Revue canadienne de sociologie · 2023 · first author
The cultural logic of precariousness and the marginalization of the sociological imagination: Signs from Mexican self-help books.
Canadian review of sociology = Revue canadienne de sociologie · 2022 · first author

All 4 publications

Latest funding

A century of shaping gender and class: university extension in Canada, 1874 -- 1974
SSHRC · 2021 · Principal investigator
$39,419
A century of shaping gender and class: university extension in Canada, 1874 -- 1974
SSHRC · 2021 · Principal investigator
$38,886
How Older Adults Use Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) to Support Informal, Self-Directed E-Learning
SSHRC · 2015 · Co-investigator
$50,131

All 6 grants and awards

4 publications.

01

Sacrificial Lambs and Rallying Cries: The Politics of Adult Education at the University of Manitoba, 1907-1949.

McLean S

Adult education quarterly (American Association for Adult and Continuing Education)2025First author

DOI: 10.1177/07417136241308219 PMID: 41245794

02

Champions of democracy or agents of professionalization? The extension era at the universities of Toronto, Queen's, and McMaster.

McLean S

Canadian review of sociology = Revue canadienne de sociologie2023First author

DOI: 10.1111/cars.12449 PMID: 37653611

03

The cultural logic of precariousness and the marginalization of the sociological imagination: Signs from Mexican self-help books.

McLean S

Canadian review of sociology = Revue canadienne de sociologie2022First author

DOI: 10.1111/cars.12371 PMID: 35040276

04

Progress, public health, and power: Foucault and the Homemakers' Clubs of Saskatchewan.

McLean S, Rollwagen H

Canadian review of sociology = Revue canadienne de sociologie2008First author

DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-618x.2008.00015.x PMID: 19579350

A century of shaping gender and class: university extension in Canada, 1874 -- 1974

Principal investigatorSSHRC2021Insight Grants

Principal investigators: McLean, Scott D.

Keywords: university extension; Canada; history; sociology; gender; social class; adult and continuing education; higher education

$39,419

A century of shaping gender and class: university extension in Canada, 1874 -- 1974

Principal investigatorSSHRC2021Insight Grants

Principal investigators: McLean, Scott D.

Keywords: university extension; Canada; history; sociology; gender; social class; adult and continuing education; higher education

$38,886

How Older Adults Use Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) to Support Informal, Self-Directed E-Learning

Co-investigatorSSHRC2015Insight Development Grant

Principal investigators: Morrison, Dirk

Keywords: (1) personal learning environments (PLEs); (2) e-learning; (3) self-directed learning; (4) informal learning; (5) lifelong learning; (6) older adults

$50,131

Learning, identity, and power in self-help literature

Principal investigatorSSHRC2011

Principal investigators: McLean, Scott D.

Keywords: adult and continuing education; sociology of education; self-help literature; identities

$100,720

A historical sociology of university continuing education in Montreal and Vancouver

Principal investigatorSSHRC2008Standard Research Grants

Principal investigators: McLean, Scott D.

Keywords: continuing education; universities; adult education; historical sociology; Canada

$72,000

A historical sociology of continuing education at the universities of Alberta and Saskatchewan

Principal investigatorSSHRC2004Standard Research Grants

Principal investigators: McLean, Scott D.

Keywords: University continuing education; extension; adult education; historical sociology; Western Canada

$107,500

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their SSHRC grant from 2021

Subject: Prospective PhD student: university extension Dear Professor McLean, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Sacrificial Lambs and Rallying Cries: The Politics of Adult Education at the University of Manitoba, 1907-1949." (2025), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your SSHRC-funded project "A century of shaping gender and class: university extension in Canada, 1874 -- 1974" (2021), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]